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He laughed so hard that he had to lean against the cabinet. She glared up at him. “Do you think I wouldn’t do it?”
He held up his hands. “Oh, Pequeña, that’s not why I’m laughing. I could see you doing just that. But you don’t have to worry. I’m not interested in anyone else.”
He better not be.
At least, not while they were . . . whatever they were.
Things felt so uncertain right now. She didn’t know where she was going to live. She hadn’t made any progress on finding Mama.
Maybe you should tell him why you’re here.
But what if he got mad at her? She was here under false pretenses. A man like Alejandro wouldn’t like that.
At all.
She could only imagine how he’d react. And she liked having him be like this with her.
She didn’t want him to hate her.
This wouldn’t last forever so there was no reason he ever had to know who she actually was.
Right?
“Doesn’t mean they don’t look. I’ve heard Starla talk about you. She’d give her right tit just to have you suck on the left one.”
Another bark of laughter, although he did look slightly horrified as he put his hand over her mouth. “Enough, Pequeña. While your jealousy is cute, it’s misguided. I’ve never done anything with Starla. She’s not my type.”
“Oh, so what is your type?” she asked.
“My type? Hmm. Blond. Blue-eyed. Tall. Really tall.”
“Papi!”
“Joking. I seem to be drawn to curvy, petite girls with green eyes and too much courage.”
“Doesn’t sound like anyone I know.”
“No? Ahh, well, I’ll keep looking.”
“Papi!” She smacked her hand against his chest. “Ouch!”
“Pequeña, do not hit me.”
“Sorry. Did it hurt?” Because her hand definitely stung.
“No. Because you’ll hurt yourself.” He took her hand and rubbed away the sting.
“You’re telling me. What are you made of? Concrete?”
He kissed her hand. “There you are. All better.”
“You are a magician,” she said. “Or are you a wizard too?”
“Maybe.” He winked at her. “Now, you won’t do that again. Understand me?”
“Yes, Papi.”
“That’s my good girl. Now, open your mouth. Get ready for Papi.”
Well, that sounded misleading, didn’t it?
“My, my, you are getting a dirty mind, aren’t you?” he teased. “Open your mouth so I can clean your teeth.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Who is in charge right now?” he asked in a low voice.
Oh. Right.
“You are, Papi.”
“So you’ll let me take care of you. And, unlike you, I don’t want any of your teeth to fall out if you’re not taking care of them properly.”
“I don’t want my own teeth to fall out,” she muttered. That would be gross. But she let him brush her teeth. It was weirdly intimate. And she didn’t mind it as much as she thought she might.
“Anything else you need to do?” he asked after he finished. “Moisturizer?”
“I left it all behind. I didn’t want to touch any of it in case it was tainted or something.”
“Write down what you need, and I’ll get Bernard to order it.”
She wrinkled her nose. He’d probably mess with it.
“I know you both got off to a bad start, but Bernard has been with me a long time. He’s fiercely loyal and a good man.”
She sighed. “So what you’re saying is that I can’t smother him with a pillow in the middle of the night.”
“I’d rather you didn’t,” he told her in a serious tone. Although she was certain she saw his lips twitch.
“Fine. I’ll suffer through Doomy Gloomy.”
“Thank you,” he said solemnly. “I appreciate your sacrifice.”
“I like you like this,” she told him.
“Like what?”
“I . . . oh, maybe I shouldn’t say.” She didn’t want to upset him.
He stared at her in surprise. “Since when do you hesitate to say exactly what you’re thinking?”
When she was unsure of how someone might react. And she cared deeply about how they would respond.
With most people, she didn’t care. She didn’t know them, wasn’t worried about their reactions.
With her friends . . . they were family. They’d always be there for her no matter what.
He didn’t fall into either group. So she found herself worrying about what she might say more than she usually did. She’d been like this with Jake and Elsie too. Always concerned that they’d find a reason to kick her out if she was a typical teenager. So there had been no rebellions. She’d never broken any rules.
She’d been perfect. Which was pretty hard because Cat knew she was far from perfect.
“It’s just . . . when you’re with your men or working, you’re different from who you are now. There’s Alejandro, the powerful crime boss. Then there’s Alejandro, who is stern and bossy. And there’s this Alejandro. You’re almost relaxed. Funny.”
He gave her a shocked look.
“I’m not saying any of you is bad,” she added hastily. “And I’m not complaining or anything. I get it. I just meant . . . I like this side of you too. But not more than the others—”
